Plague confirmed in rural Wyoming

The Wyoming Department of Health in Sheridan County has confirmed a cat in the town of Big Horn is infected with the plague. There have been no human cases identified in the area.

The animal is known to wander outdoors.

The diagnosis was confirmed by the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory in Laramie earlier this week.

“Plague is a serious bacterial infection that can be deadly for pets and for people if not treated as soon as possible with antibiotics,” said Dr. Alexia Harrist, state health officer and state epidemiologist with WDH. “The disease can be transmitted to humans from ill animals and by fleas coming from infected animals. We want people to know of the potential threat in the cat’s home area as well as across the state.”

The disease is rare in humans, but the health department assumes the risk for plague exists across the state. There have been six human exposures in Wyoming since 1978. The last one was investigated in 2008. There is an average of seven cases reported across the nation each year.

Symptoms in pets can include enlarged lymph glands, swelling in the neck, face, or around the ears, fever, chills, lack of energy, coughing, vomiting, diarrhea and dehydration.

In people, the symptoms are similar, including fever, swollen and tender lymph glands, extreme exhaustion, headache, chills, coughing, difficulty breathing, abdominal pain, vomiting and diarrhea.

The Health Department recommends several precautions to prevent plague infection:

Use insect repellent on boots and pants when in areas that might have fleas. Use flea repellent on pets, and properly dispose of rodents pets may bring home. Avoid unnecessary exposure to rodents. Avoid contact with rodent carcasses. Avoid areas with unexplained rodent die-offs.